UConn men’s basketball bested San Diego State 76-59 on Monday night, winning the fifth national championship in program history. While mere hours have passed since the Huskies won the title and this year’s “One Shining Moment” video aired, sports betting fanatics can already wager on which team will win the 2023-24 national championship.
The Huskies are expected to contend for the crown again in 2024, as FanDuel (+1100), Caesars Sportsbook (+1200), and BetRivers (+1200) are among the mobile sportsbooks with UConn as its 2024 betting favorite. DraftKings lists the Huskies at +1400, which are the third-shortest odds of any team.
Duke, Kentucky among betting favorites
Two teams with elite recruiting classes — Duke (+1000) and Kentucky (+1200) — are the two favorites on DraftKings. Kentucky will add four top-10 recruits next season according to 24/7 Sports. Duke adds five players in the top 20.
On FanDuel, Duke is +1300 to win it all next season and Kentucky is +1500. Caesars Sportsbook lists Duke at +1600 odds and Kentucky at +1800.
While both teams should enter next season with lofty expectations, neither team was elite in 2022-23. Duke lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after earning a No. 5 seed in the event. Kentucky, which was a No. 6 seed, fell to Kansas State in the second round this year. A year prior, the Wildcats lost as a No. 2 seed to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s.
Other top contenders according to DraftKings include Kansas (+1600), Marquette (+1600), Purdue (+1800), Alabama (+2000), Arizona (+2000), North Carolina (+2000), and Michigan State (+2000). UCLA is also considered a top contender at most sportsbooks with odds of +1600 at BetRivers and Caesars Sportsbook.
San Diego State and Florida Atlantic played a Final Four game to remember this season, and it’s the Owls with shorter odds (+5000) to cut down the nets than the Aztecs (+8000) on DraftKings. Florida Atlantic’s odds greatly vary across sportsbooks, with the Owls listed at +3000 on FanDuel and +7000 on Caesars Sportsbook.
SAN DIEGO STATE WILL PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP pic.twitter.com/5NWXWvl138
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) April 2, 2023
Wait to wager?
While it’s exciting to look at college basketball futures bets, the modern era of the sport doesn’t always lend itself to successful long-term predictions. Teams are currently gaining and losing key players in the transfer portal, making significant offseason roster changes.
Given the massive roster shifts during the offseason, it’s hard to handicap the 2023-24 college basketball season in April 2023.
BREAKING: Michigan center Hunter Dickinson has entered the NCAA transfer portal, per @JamieShaw5👀 https://t.co/wPpkD2DviX pic.twitter.com/enqdf9kYch
— On3 (@On3sports) March 31, 2023
Significant questions regarding team’s rosters leave bettors leaning on program history and coaching when making futures bets. Programs like Kansas, Houston (+2200 on DraftKings), Gonzaga (+2500), and UCLA have been elite in recent seasons.
Bettors may be willing to wager on those squads, assuming coaching and program culture keep the team atop the odds boards throughout the year. Others, understandably, will want to wait for the dust to settle on a hectic offseason.
Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
